1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices used to remove water from a fire hose after use and before the fire hose is stored, typically on a fire truck. More particularly, the present invention discloses a walk-along and wheeled squeegee device for evacuating fluid (such as water) from a fire hose after use and prior to storage of the hose in a compressed and typically rolled condition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fire hoses are typically formed of a flexible material such as plastic or fabric or combinations thereof, which may be collapsed for compact storage. After a fire hose is used, it must be evacuated of water to allow for compact storage.
In the past, and in order to achieve drainage of fire hoses, it has been known to form detachable couplings at regular intervals so that, upon detaching a section of fire hose, it is drained by elevating one end and allowing water to flow out of the other end. The hose sections must then be reattached at the coupling, thus necessitating a time-consuming procedure.
Attempts have been made in the prior art to facilitate the drainage of fire hoses and a first example of this is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,139, issued to Blake, Jr., which teaches the attachment of two disks at spaced locations to a cylindrical bar. The bar passes through a center of each disk and perpendicular to the plane of the disks. A hollow tube further surrounds the cylindrical bar between the two disks and rotates freely around the cylindrical bar in such a manner as to allow a flat hose to pass over the cylindrical bar and to thereby facilitate drainage of the hose.
Examples of combination winding and draining devices for fire hoses are further known and one example is illustrated in the hose winding apparatus shown in Dubreuil, U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,404, and which teaches a base member with an upwardly extending vertical support structure. A horizontal support structure extends frontwardly from the vertical support structure and includes manual reel having a crank handle for winding the hose. The reel is positioned on the distal end of the horizontal support structure and a pair of squeezing rollers are mounted on the vertical support structure. The squeezing rollers are adapted to squeeze the hose into a flat configuration as it is being wound upon the reel and a foot operated mechanism allows the user to temporarily separate the squeezing rollers so as to allow passage of the coupling components at both ends of the hose. It is further noted that the guiding rollers are movable relative to one another so as to allow adjustment to hoses having various diameters.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,414, issued to Spradling, teaches a collapsible hand operated and affixed apparatus for winding a length of fire hose of the type having male and female interlocking members on opposite ends. A support member is provided and upon which is mounted a horizontally disposed shaft having one end operatively connected to a hand crank which, when operated, rotatably drives a disk member carried at the opposite end of the shaft. Upon winding, the hose is concurrently drained and spirally wound about the disc member.
A further example of a draining and winding apparatus is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,609, issued to Ghio et al., and which discloses a hose reel cart with a vertically disposed and circular planar reel mounted at a slight incline to the vertical and upon a tubular wheeled cart. Tapered guide pins extend perpendicularly outwardly from one face of the reel and engage an end portion of a fire hose therebetween for removably securing the hose to the reel. A hand crank provides selective rotary drive to the reel via a chain and sprocket mechanism in order to flatten, drain and coil the hose in overlaying condition upon the reel. The tubular frame further includes a forwardly extending hose guide to assist in the aligning, flattening and draining steps as well as to serve as a ground engaging prop for supporting the cart.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,531, issued to Wiens, teaches an apparatus for drying hoses in a fire hall and which includes the provision of a rack having a plurality of shelves mounted upon a central support at a midpoint along the length of the shelves and mounting upon rollers at the outer ends. The central support is raised vertically upwardly along the wall and so that the ends move inwardly to a position at approximately a 45xc2x0 angle thus bending the hoses at a central position into two inclined portions from which water can be drained.
The present invention comprises a wheeled assembly for evacuating liquid, such as water, from a collapsible hose, typically further of the variety used by firefighters. The present invention is also an improvement over prior art water evacuation devices in that it provides a portable and wheeled assembly which can be transported to any on-site location and employed to quickly and effectively drain and compress individual sections of a fire hose prior to coiling and storage.
The assembly includes an elongated frame having a first and lower end and an angularly stepped configuration terminating in a second and upper end. A pair of spaced apart wheels are rotatably secured about an axis situated at the first end of the frame.
A first cylindrical member includes a first annular outer surface and is rotatably mounted about the axis between the pair of spaced apart wheels. A second cylindrical member is pivotally and rotatably secured to a further location of the frame and such that a second annular outer surface associated with the second cylindrical member is arranged in opposing and rotatable contact with the associated annular outer surface of the first cylindrical member.
In operation, the second cylindrical member is actuable between a first position in which it biasingly contacts the first cylindrical member and a second position in which it is displaced a selected distance from the first member. A first end of the hose, typically proximate in location to an associated end coupling, is inserted, from a sideways direction, and between the annular outer surfaces of the first and second cylindrical members in their displaced position. The annular outer surfaces are subsequently moved into contact with one another and the device translating upon a ground support surface, with the hose remaining substantially stationary, and so that the extending length hose is drained and compressed into a collapsed condition between the opposing annular surfaces of the rotatable members.